


When I Dance + More

by lacewing



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Child Death, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-23 03:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8312602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacewing/pseuds/lacewing
Summary: Inspired by Silcatian's monster under the bed series.





	1. When I dance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Silcatian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silcatian/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Monsters Under the Bed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7809409) by [Silcatian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silcatian/pseuds/Silcatian). 



> Saying good-bye is never easy, Papyrus gives his child one last dance.

When I Dance  
Notes: Inspired by Silcatian, and her little series of ‘monster under the bed’ shorts. Go read them! The stories are adorably cute!  
-0-  
“Papy? I want to dance.” The tiny voice said.  
“Shhh, little human, you should rest.” The tall skeleton Papyrus was usually pretty jovial and cheerful, loud as well, which was good that her parent’s where such sound sleepers, else he might have been discovered. Long ago.   
But tonight, he was unusually quiet. Maybe because it wasn’t the child’s room, he risked much being here at the moment as just beyond those heavy curtains were people. Everyone was out, leaving the child alone.   
But he could not leave his human alone. Not now of all times.   
The little girl with eyes as soulful as a kitten and skin like chocolate shook her head, once her head was a mass of fluffy curls that bounced with her movement and as the child was always in movement meant her hair was too. But now only a bandana graced the brown skin. “I want to dance, please?” she asked holding out her arms to the skeleton “Please Papy?”   
He stared at her for a long time before giving her his best cheer “I can never say no to you!”   
He scooped her up, with a little spin that made her giggle. Careful of the medical equipment in the room.   
And he helped her dance. A child who had dreamed of nothing but being a dancer on a stage. She had so much talent, Papyrus was sure one day she would be amazing.   
There was no music except hospital equipment, but neither of them needed it. Movements synchronized from years of dancing to the mp3 player she’d gotten when she was 6 years old.   
There really was nothing else he could do, but he could give her this. Let her feel like she was dancing on that stage she so dreamed of her whole life.   
Even as her steps stumbled he supported her, and kept her graceful as a good dance partner should.   
The sun would rise soon and she was tired. But smiling hugely. “love you.. papy” she said softly as he tucked her form that was too tiny, too frail, back into the bed.   
He held her hand and leaned forward, giving her a skeleton kiss good night. “I love you too, tiny human.”  
She took a breath and there was a long sigh.  
Then no more.   
The sun was touching the edge of the bed before he was able to tear himself away. The light touching the tips of his phalanges, even through the gloves he could feel the pain. Voices behind said that nurses where coming to make their rounds. He turned back on the machines he turned off earlier.   
Then he was gone.   
Once home he wailed his grief and loss into the endless twilight of the monster world.   
-0-  
He still wasn’t sure about taking a new assignment, it still felt too soon. But as he waited beneath the crib he figured he would just hang out, not interact. Some monsters never needed nor wanted to reveal themselves to their humans. It was perfectly fine.   
It was dark as he rested curled a little uncomfortably under the crib. It will definitely be easier once the human was big enough to get a real bed. Maybe he should move to the closet until then? Carefully he snuck out and turned to see the child was staring at him with huge stormy eyes, the sort of gaze of a child before the color settled. Pale skin this one, covered in freckles and with a slight tuff of red hair showing. He tilted his head and the baby tilted theirs back.  
Then held out arms towards the skeleton, laughing infectiously legs kicking.   
“OMG YOU ARE TOO CUTE TINY HUMAN!” he crooned carefully scooping up the child. It sounded like there was something going on downstairs and he could hear laughter, and music. This was not an inner city home with car traffic outside the window, he could taste salty sea air and the music had that quality that only live music hand.   
He felt his feet tap a bit to it and he spun around the baby bursting into happy giggles. “Let’s dance” His laughter mixed with the child’s.


	2. Angelfish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did not mean for a second one to this, but Undyne decided to take on a kid of her own, and she wouldn't do ANYTHING by halves.

Angelfish  
Notes: …. Oops? Ok the fish wife wouldn’t shut up, so I think six will keep her occupied for a bit doncha think? (gods the rules she’s likely breaking.. I don’t think she cares)  
-0-  
“Right rabble rousers! Up and at ‘em!” Undyne banged a pot from the kitchen, curtains pulled tight to not let in any light. There were general grumbles, a few knocks at doors and forms trumped down the stairs.  
“Its Saturday!” one of the boys complained sniffing and rubbing tired out of his eyes “Can’t we sleep in a little bit?” he said.  
“You already slept past Saturday, and Sunday kiddo. It’s Monday and we know what that means?” she had hands on her hips.  
The boy’s eyes went huge “… fuck I forgot to study for the quiz!” and the bow was tearing up the stairs again past the smallest child who was coming down. Undyne caught up the little one.  
“How’s my angel fish?” the child laughed as she was hooked up to the fish woman’s shoulders and carried into the kitchen for breakfast.  
Undyne was drinking coffee as the children leaving for the day rushed off, work, school, playing hooky. Leaving her and Angel. The child was dutifully sipping through her cup and taking measured bites. So she could be big and strong like Undyne.  
Undyne grinned down at her little ward. It was weird how she ended up like this. A few years back she got her kid.  
And when she came to see them that first night she found... Bedlam, that was the best she could describe the chaos she walked into. Dead parents, a single 17 year old left to watch over 5 other kids plus a newborn.  
TECHNICLY the rest of the kids were the wards of their own monsters, but, well other than the youngest none of them seemed to have one. She couldn’t find a hint of a monster anywhere. Just a bit of dog piss in the closet.  
To add to technicalities she shouldn’t really be seen by anyone but her own kid.  
But screw that all and if anyone back home dared to bitch to her about it she had a spear she could put right up their ass.  
So she took on all of them. Training them like her own little troop of fighters. Forming them into a real unit.  
Giving them back their family. Reminding them they weren’t alone, they had eachother.  
And now, they had her too.  
A wonderfully threatening message about a day sleeper on the door and blocking off the windows for the rooms Undyne needed to be in she guarded the house while the kids where away, getting in a few naps when she could. During the day the eldest two worked jobs that paid the bills and put food on the table.  
Undyne cooked (and managed not to burn most of it! Youtube was seriously her best friend in terms of learning to cook.) Made sure everyone did their homework, got exercise. Not uncommon for her to drag them all out for a moonlit jog.  
It likely would have worked better for them to have a real human adult to take care of them.  
But well, she was attached and if she had to, she would sure as hell break even more rules and these kids would all come down with her to the underground. She heard stories of it happening in the past.  
It was just fairly frowned on these days.  
Angel finished and carefully got down from the table and gathered her dishes putting them into the sink. She left and while Undyne topped off her coffee cup the child came back with her sketch pad, she offered it to Undyne.  
“What we got here kiddo?” she asked as she picked it up and turned the pages. Her frown grew, “You having those dreams again?” she asked picking up the child and holding her close. In the beginning she had brought food for the kids from the monster world. She hadn’t even thought there could be a problem. In the beginning when only one of the kids was old enough to even try for a job but still had to finish highschool, it had just seemed the best option. Else the kids were looking at going to be wards of the state.  
The periodic checkups by the state never helped anyone’s nerves either in the beginning.  
Most of them it wasn’t a big deal, but the youngest, she was affected. Dreams that were too real and of things no tiny child should dream of. Horrible things happening to kids. Sometimes Undyne could do something, but often, there was little she could do. It made little Angel a very quiet and introspective child.  
She looked though at the drawings, for hints that might show her what was going on and where.  
-0-  
By the time Undyne was able to safely get away it was too late for the child.  
But not too late for Undyne to take care of the child’s killer.  
Ah, such wonderful things loop holes. Idiots can’t remember seeing a monster when they were splattered cross a wall or two.  
She could see that the poor baby would be found.  
Undyne looked up when she heard a sniffle and her features softened. There was a small draconic monster, one she knew.  
So this had been her kid eh?  
“Alphys.” She said and the monster stepped out of the shadows  
“I…I w-wasn’t s-st-strong enough!” she hiccupped.  
Undyne went over and sat down pulling the monster into a tight hug. Alphys didn’t take many kids, preferring science and staying behind the scenes. What made her take on this one?  
“I..I thought I could.. be.. cool like you.” She stuttered.  
“Alphys! You ARE cool.” She brushed the nerdy lizard’s scales “You are the coolest. And this? This shit happens and hell, it could happen to one of my kids, if someone takes them during the day…” she trailed off, her fins sagging.  
“He.. was trusted by the family,” Alphys admitted.  
“Well he ain’t ever going to hurt another kid like that again.”  
Alphys looked at her “How did you know he was here?”  
“A little Angel told me” she told the scientist.  
“You really should report that.” Alphys told her.  
She shrugged “Ah, we are handling it. A couple more years and the others won’t be needing me as much, I can pull back and be the one kid monster I should be.”  
Alphys snorted “Like hell you will.”  
Undyne snorted a laughed “yeah, like that will happen. I got attached to these brats. Look, Alphys, if you really feel like staying after” she indicated the body “That’s taken care of, you are welcome to stay with me and my bunch. Gotta admit, 6 is a bit much for one monster to take all at once.”  
“r-really?” Alphys said “Even after I s-so badly m-messed up?”  
“It wasn’t your fault. This punk was trusted, he betrayed that trust to hurt the kid and during a time you couldn’t do ANYTHING. If it had been different, I am sure that it wouldn’t be me who would have eviscerated that creep.”  
Alphys nodded, clutching her hands and Undyne gave her another hug “It’ll be fine, you go grieve your little one and don’t blame yourself. The fucker who was to be blamed is over there.. and there, OH and waaaay up there.”  
Alphys managed a small smile but nodded.  
Undyne left her and went on back to her kids. She was going to clean up, and then have tight hugs for each of them.  
Until the day they drew their last breath. They were her’s.  
No one messes with her’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a second chapter came up. I have no idea if there will be more, but hell in the heart of the original author I am willing to take suggestions for monsters and kids. Though as a note. I don't do the 'reader' style or 2nd person, just 1st or 3rd person perspective. I find 2nd way too hard to keep my 'voice' in.


	3. Cibophobia

Cibophobia

-0-  
Note: This one was prompted by Silcatian, Muffet with a child with severe food allergies who has to figure out new recipes to cook so her spiderling won’t starve.  
-0-

Muffet bit her lip staring at the webpage. Her little spiderling was behind her watching his pet tarantula stalking crickets in the little enclosure by his bed.  
Allrecipies.com, well it had a lot of recipes that was for sure! She had quite a little collection that was forming up in the little bookmark application they had as part of the site. She sighed though. Sitting back she rubbed all her arms and cracked fingers. There had to be something.  
The child shifted and pulled down his simple shirt over sides with ribs so prominent. The poor thing been developing a fear of even trying new things or different things, fear that everything was going to make him sick.  
So she hunted, no this one used nuts, allergy. This one had a half dozen herbs she knew where allergies and a few she wasn’t sure on, so no she wasn’t going to test it.  
This one was promising but had nothing in it that was of real nutritional value. Her baby needed protein and carbohydrates.  
Since picking up this boy she was becoming quite the nutritionist. It started with something everyone noticed even as a baby, he was allergic to his mother’s milk. Then the formula, then as he grew older more and more foods started adding themselves. Either to make him break out in hives, asphyxiate or to churn his stomach so bad he was curled into a tiny ball of pain.  
It was no wonder the boy developed a fear of trying ANYTHING.  
He couldn’t even go to school, a fellow student having recently had the wrong thing and touching him could cause a reaction.  
His poor parents were trying. He went to the doctors, he saw all the specialists, they had a list of ‘safe foods’, but he just didn’t want to eat at all anymore.  
So it was up to Muffet to do something! She was good at baking!  
She would make him eat. Her little child who loved spiders.  
“I wish I was a spider.” The boy said from the bed “Then I likely wouldn’t have to worry about anything being wrong with eating.”  
She paused and hesitated then had a thought. She quickly did a google search and sighed, well that was down the drain. People with shellfish allergies should avoid eating insects.  
Well, it was a thought, so she went back to her prior search.  
Finally she had a few things to try, she just had to get a hold of the ingredients. At least that bit was easy. She just had to put them on the shopping list. Her baby’s mom was such a health conscious person she would just assume that she added it to the list likely for the same reasons Muffet did add them. To see if they could get the child to eat. 

-0-

The boy was seated at the table coloring and watching his monster suspiciously. She was currently dressed with a head scarf around his head and frilly white aprons while her many hands were busy whisking and chopping. It was really cool to watch his monster cook. She had a serious method about herself and an ability to keep everything perfectly clean as she worked. Once she washed dishes other than the mouth watering smells there would be very little to show that she had even been here.  
Soon she had things cooking and the boy could smell the good things but he was still afraid. He knew she was just trying to take care of him, his cool spider monster who always found him the coolest spiders to keep as pets. Who also gave the biggest hugs. Maybe because she had six arms?  
His parents were out, likely there should have been a babysitter, but Muffet was really sneaky and his parents didn’t realize that the ‘cute girl they hired’ over the phone who timed things perfectly so that the busy parents thought they had met her when they hadn’t, ended up being his baby sitter.  
He was seriously impressed. A very glad Muffet liked him so much, because she was seriously scary in how she could spin out a web and have everyone doing just what she wanted.  
The timer dinged and she pulled out the odd sort of flattish loaf she baked. She frowned as if it wasn’t looking quite how she wanted it to. “Lets see how this works then” and she cut him a piece and set it in front of him.  
He stared at the baked loaf, not at all sure if it was even safe.  
“Please? Just a small bite, I have your epi pen right here, I won’t let you hurt at all.”  
He trusted her, though he had to fight the gag reflex for every centimeter the slice came towards his lips.  
Carefully he steeled himself a took a bite.  
There was a long silence between the two of them as the boy felt tears welling up in his eyes “i-it’s good” he shuddered and took a more confident bigger bite. More tears falling down his face as after he managed to swallow he just started crying in earnest. So scared, but so happy at the same time.  
Muffet squealed and hugged him tightly.  
It would take time, but it wasn’t going to be long before his family had a list of recipes he could have, things that he could eat.  
Then maybe he could learn not to fear the thing he needed to live.


	4. Three’s Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grillby gets triplets!

Three’s Company  
Another little suggestion from the original writer, since it seems I have fun ‘breaking’ the rules as it were!   
\--  
He checked the crib, a blink then checked to make sure there were no smudges on his glasses. Running hands through his flaming hair he checked again under the crib, then the closet.  
Seriously? He was the ONLY one here…  
Which one was his? He pulled the slip of paper out of his vest coat pocket and made a crackling sigh as the only thing he had to go on was the address of his new charge.  
“Someone screwed up.” He muttered to himself as he looked back into the crib and the three little faces sleeping.  
Triplets.   
Oh what fresh hell was this? “I so need to talk with headquarters about this.” He muttered and after a moment the flame elemental Grillby took over the chair near the crib. Crossing his legs with freshly creased black slacks. Resting his chin on his palm he hummed to himself trying to figure out best course of action. Did he just, pick one? Take care of all three? The rules were fairly clear that a monster got one child. (Well he did hear about that fiasco with Undyne taking over the care of six. She is still in trouble over that one) He looked at his assignment paper again. Then let it go up in flames in irritation. Here he was, trying to get back into doing something for himself after the mess back in the monster world. Divorces suck.   
It was amiable enough, it was more of a matter of compatibility. So to give a bit of time and room he decided to accept a human. A decade or two was hardly a flash in the pan of a monster’s life and he loved children. So his ex agreed to run his bar until he returned. Likely she’d take a child on then herself and they could see how things stood then. Maybe they could work it out, maybe they could just move on.   
One of the babies started to fuss and he got up, checking. He glanced and saw the baby monitor was reacting and he heard footsteps down the hall. Quickly he moved to the closet, his bright self would do better hiding there than under the bed.   
He saw a very worn looking woman. Tired, dressed in a somewhat threadbare old grey nightgown that hung just past her hips. He wondered briefly where her husband was, After all she should be resting, these were newborns.  
She stood by the crib and stared down at the three, the fussy one settling before she just, sort of collapsed. Her hands holding tightly to the bar.   
The sick broken sobs did not give him heart that this was an ideal situation.   
He waited, and when the sobs died off he looked again. She was still there, seated on the ground her legs splayed out, the only thing keeping her upright was the hand lock she had on the crib. Quietly he edged out and looked down at her. She… the poor thing was exhausted.   
Something was not right. “What sort of mess did I walk into?” he muttered with a sigh and carefully, so not to wake her, he picked the woman up. She was, disturbingly thin. She shifted into his warmer hold as trusting as a child. Did all new mothers look so, young? He curled her into the chair near the children and checked again on the triplets. Two boys and a little girl.   
Seeing everyone was settled for the moment he straightened his vest and rolled up his sleeves. He started checking the house for clues about what he came into, since it seemed he was not being given everything he needed to know.  
Plus maybe he could find out if there were other monsters here, surely he wasn’t being left to work alone?   
\--  
Fifteen minutes of searching left him with an empty feeling in his stomach and a growing headache.  
Oh he wanted to say a few choice words, maybe set something on fire.   
Definitely catch something on fire.   
Headquarters for a start.   
This was not the worst situation he’d ever run into, or even heard about. But what he had was a single mother, a very young single mother. She wasn’t even twenty and from some of the various bills and notes he found, she is completely on her own.   
He leaned against the wall and rubbed his chin, the rules stated that he got one kid, and no one else was to see him.  
Well, it is triplets and well, if no one shows up he was honestly never told WHICH child was his, so, well he could bend the rules for them. At least that was the story he was going to stick to!  
The bigger issue was their mother. She couldn’t do this, not alone. No support, hell she had hardly any food in the house! No savings, and how was she going to handle daycare?   
He had his own children back in the monster world, he knew how difficult balancing a work and home life was, and he had a wife who helped support him!  
He needed help.  
God no, not Undyne. She’d just say something rude about the rules. He adjusted his glasses and thought hard about the current monsters he knew where on assignment. Someone had to be able to offer some suggestions for this situation.   
Because three aborted notes he found of the mother…  
What would he do with three orphans?   
\--  
Three days later and Grillby was in a state. The mother was held up in bed, delirious. Complications it appeared (and not the overdose he feared when he found her) and he brushed back her hair, being a bit daring here as she was much too sick to even be aware of him really. The way she tilted her face into his warm fingers meant she was likely enjoying the touch. He sighed letting a couple flames slip as he heard one of the little ones cry.  
Three days and zero word back from headquarters. While the triplets were definitely a handful, they also thankfully were very easy children to care for. He changed diapers and fed them before burps and tucking them back in. Not all that different from his own when they were tiny.   
He was thankful that there were such lovely heavy curtains over the few small windows the home had. It at least made it so that he didn’t have to wait to take care of the little family only after dark.   
Grillby sung the triplets a lullaby as they relaxed and slipped back to sleep. He prepared food for their mother, if she couldn’t get better she couldn’t take care of them and he was not going to see this end as a tragic story of a young mother being found dead and three babies near death.   
Just meant he was going to have to be, tricky.  
Admittedly, not his strongest suit.   
\--  
Muffet was a dear, word had slipped and while yes, he got the visit from Undyne (and her subsequent bad advice) he also had visits from a few other monsters currently on missions. They gave advice, some good, some bad and some just offered support. There were days having ran one of the most popular bars in the underground was a good thing he found with amusement.  
Dear Ms. Muffet on the other hand was an old hand at caring for interesting children. Her current child apparently had more than a few food allergies, and she managed to convince the parents that not only had they met her (which they hadn’t) but that she was a charming teenage girl who watched their child and had a passion for baking. They even paid her! She had herself a tidy sum by this point.  
She was more than willing to help him set up. It was going to be trickier since there was not two slightly bemused and befuddled parents in this case, but one harried and wilting 19 year old mother.   
But he was rather proud of what he did manage to come up with. They set up some funds, to help the young mother go back to school. Go to college, and not have to worry, that there would be a service to watch her babies.   
As she recovered, as she went back to school for a nursing degree, she stopped wilting and blossomed. He made sure she was eating, that she had healthy food for herself and for her growing children. That her home was a warm welcoming place. And having run a very welcoming establishment, he knew all the tricks to make a place feel warm.   
After all his element was fire. This? This would be his hearth, and he would be the candle in a window to welcome the traveler home.   
He couldn’t help the warmth he felt as he sat next to the cradle gently rocking one of the infants, who waved little fists up at his flickering hair. He held up a hand and little flames flickered out, as he gave them the shape of little birds, fluttering to the child’s delight.   
This was going to work. Oh he was bending the rules over backwards, and likely he was going to end up with some reprimand, as he was taking on three when he was suppose to only have one.  
As well as taking the children’s mother under wing. Being her guardian angel as it were.   
But, he was fixing something. Holding at least one family together. Against the odds.   
How could he not feel right about that?


End file.
